With Lowry’s destiny out of his own hands, Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard’s tied-13th place finish in the British Masters at The Belfry – won by Sweden’s Alex Noren – was sufficient to leapfrog him up to fifth place in the qualifying standings, moving ahead of Tyrrell Hatton, who secured the sixth automatic spot, and dropping Lowry to seventh.

Shane Lowry will be hoping for a captain's pick after slipping out of the automatic qualifying places for the Ryder Cup on a day when Alex Noren claimed the British Masters at the Belfry.